Former NRL star Luke Keary has urged Brisbane Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam to take control of his side now that they face a considerable injury toll to their spine.

The Broncos will be without Reece Walsh and Ben Hunt for a six to eight-week period, meanwhile Adam Reynolds will be out for one to two weeks as they are looking to protect their title defence.

It now lies on Mam, who was excellent in his performance against the Titans last weekend, to step up and keep the ship steady until their world-class spine returns.

Keary, along with co-panellists Corey Parker and David Riccio, called for Mam to make a statement on Channel 7's Agenda Setters: Rugby League where they believe it is his time to imprint himself as the Broncos look to defend their title. 

“Reece Walsh is out for 6 -8 weeks – required surgery on that cheekbone," Parker said.

"We've discussed at length how devastating he is when he's playing for the Brisbane Broncos. In the opening half he scored an individual solo try, got one disallowed. But his absence over the next 6 weeks… what do we think?”

Walsh was electric before injuring his cheekbone on the Gold Coast, with many wondering how Brisbane will emulate that spark while he is recovering on the sidelines. 

“Adding too, Ben Hunt also gone, and also too, the situation with what happens in the halves. Jesse Arthurs is my anticipation to play in fullback, and a young Tom Duffy to play in the halves," Riccio added.

Mam inserted his name in Grand Final folklore when he scored a hat-trick in the 2023 decider, and despite not coming away with the title that year, it showed he has what it takes to be an elite ball-running half.

“It is interesting to see these numbers here, 16 games and 5 wins without him," Keary said when discussing Walsh's impact.

"This is a massive task without him. This is a massive month of footy, and I think the weight falls on Ezra. I think he was outstanding in the second half against the Titans.”

The Broncos will need to use Mam's big-game experience to help them steer the side around and create sparks in a crucial window before the Origin period.

Despite Reynolds being named next to Mam in the halves for their Queensland derby against the Cowboys, Zero Tackle understands he will be ruled out.

Jesse Arthars will replace Walsh at fullback while Blake Mozer joins the interchange bench to fill Hunt's void.